Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Fantasy, Adventure

grade 6-8

ages 11-13

320 pages, hardcover

c.2020

       

            Race to the Sun is similar in tone to Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson Series in which mythological characters and contemporary culture are combined. Nizhoni Begay is a 7^th grade Navajo girl with a burning desire to be famous and popular. Unfortunately, the only way she has been noticed lately is for her mistakes, such as missing the basketball being thrown to her at a critical time in the game and having it hit her in the face. The distraction was caused by her newly awaken power of recognizing monsters in human form. Mr. Charles, the businessman in the stands, and potentially her dad’s new boss, is a monster. He is extremely interested in Nizhoni and her slightly younger brother Mac. He has plans to use Mac’s power over water to help his oil and gas company in fracking and to kill Nizhoni, who is a monster-slayer, so he can release all the monsters who have been imprisoned in the past. Nizhoni slowly becomes aware of Mr. Charles plans, especially when her stuffed horned toad, Mr. Yazzie, comes alive and begins to tell her more about her ancestry. Mr. Yazzie tells Nazhoni that she and her brother Mac are the Hero Twins of Navajo legend and it is their destiny to fight these monsters. This will require them to travel to the sacred land of the Navajo and find four sacred objects that must then be presented to Spider Woman. She, in turn, will help them journey to the home of the Sun. They will ask the Sun for the weapons they will need to fight the monsters. They will also have to pass four trials on their way to the Sun. Nazhoni’s best friend, Davery, accompanies them on the quest.

            Race to the Sun is an exciting, fast moving story. It is narrated by Nizhoni which allows you to see her transformation from an insecure, self-centered girl with anger management issues to a brave, self-sacrificing girl who has a healthy appreciation of both her strengths and weaknesses. The book also deals with the importance of family and cultural identity, forgiveness, friendship, and the hard work and sacrifices necessary to be a real hero. Nizhoni learns to face and conquer her fears during the trials and learns the importance of working together with others during the great battle with the monsters. She also learns the truth about her mother’s departure when she was an infant and that forgiveness can heal many old wounds. Elements of Navajo culture, such as respect for elders and appreciation of the natural world are also illustrated. References to the four sacred mountains and their guardians as well as the mention of other holy people could inspire further research into Navajo mythology.

     Race to the Sun is part of the Rick Riordan Presents series of books that seeks to find authors of minority cultures that can tell stories reflecting their cultures. Race to the Sun is an action, adventure fantasy that uses Navajo mythology as its backdrop. However, as I looked at reviews of the book, I discovered that some traditional Navajo people did not like the book. Their objections included some distortions of the traditional myths and some trivializing of the sacred figures in the myths. A further discussion of this can be found at https://americanindiansinchildrenslit. Roanhorse is a Native American but not a Navajo. However, she is married to a Navajo and wrote this book for her daughter. In the Author’s Notes she states that she wanted to share the beauty of the Navajo culture with both Navajo and non -Navajo kids and to show heroes that Navajo kids could relate to. She also identifies herself as a fantasy writer, not a cultural expert.

Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Historical Fiction, Adventure

ages 11-14

grades 6-9

336 pages, hardcover

c. 2019

            Words on Fire is a thought- provoking story about a little- known period in Lithuanian history. Russia occupied Lithuania from 1795-1918. After an uprising in 1863 – 1864 there was a 40-year ban on the Lithuanian language, press and books. This was the Tsar’s attempt to make the people adopt a Russian identity, but the people resisted. Some of the most courageous people were the book smugglers who risked their lives to bring people books in their own language and about their culture.

            This story begins in 1893 when 12-year-old Audra’s peaceful and sheltered life on the family farm is violently disrupted by the arrival of Cossack soldiers who arrest her parents. She barely manages to escape to the forest with a package her mother begged her to bring to a lady in a near-by village. Audra, whose name means storm, has chosen not to learn to read or write and is deeply troubled to learn that both her parents have chosen to risk their lives to smuggle books. She decides to deliver the book but has no plans to become involved in book smuggling. However, as she meets the individual book smugglers and does learn how to read and write, she becomes an enthusiastic, and skillful book smuggler.

            The story is told from Audra’s perspective and it is interesting to watch how her thought processing changes over time. At the beginning of the book she describes herself as “the girl who watched life from afar but rarely participated.” After she has learned to read and begins to understand the importance of the books in preserving the identity and culture of her people, she looks at herself differently. “I’d seen a glimpse of myself as I wished to be, a reflection of who I might become if I allowed courage to enter my heart, or ideas to enter my head…. When I imagined the girl I wanted to be, it was the girl who smuggled books.” This transition requires a lot of painful decisions. She desperately wishes to save her parents from being sent to the labor camps in Siberia and is given the opportunity if she will betray her new friend Lukas to Officer Rusakov.

            Lukas, another young book smuggler, Milda, the woman Audra brings the first book to, and Ben, an older book smuggler, are well drawn, courageous and self-sacrificing characters. Shortly after Lukas meets Audra he tells her a version of a Lithuanian folktale involving a brave girl and an evil snake trying to steal her family farm. While telling the story Lukas comments, “we’re all at risk of becoming the snake one day. The moment we start to choose what’s easy or safe, instead of what’s right, we start to become the snake.” This is the challenge the book smugglers face every day.

            This is a book that illustrates the importance of ideas and ideals and the sacrifices that are often necessary to protect them. It shows the importance of loyalty in friendship and the costly personal sacrifices that are sometimes required to keep them. There is also a moment of humor as Audra uses magic tricks, she learned from her father to trick Cossack soldiers. An inspiring, thought provoking, beautifully written book that I would recommend.